Core i3-540 vs Core 2 Duo T9500

Aggregate performance score

Core 2 Duo T9500
2008
2 cores / 2 threads, 35 Watt
1.15
+16.2%
Core i3-540
2010
2 cores / 4 threads, 73 Watt
0.99

Core 2 Duo T9500 outperforms Core i3-540 by a moderate 16% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core 2 Duo T9500 and Core i3-540 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking23802481
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data0.11
Market segmentLaptopDesktop processor
SeriesIntel Core 2 Duono data
Power efficiency3.051.26
Architecture codenamePenryn (2008−2011)Clarkdale (2010−2011)
Release date10 January 2008 (16 years ago)7 January 2010 (14 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$530$45

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core 2 Duo T9500 and Core i3-540 basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores2 (Dual-core)2 (Dual-core)
Threads24
Base clock speed2.6 GHz3.06 GHz
Boost clock speed2.6 GHz0.07 GHz
Bus rate800 MHz2.5 GT/s
L1 cache128 KB64 KB (per core)
L2 cache6 MB256 KB (per core)
L3 cache6 MB L2 Cache4 MB (shared)
Chip lithography45 nm32 nm
Die size107 mm281 mm2
Maximum core temperature105 °C73 °C
Number of transistors410 Million382 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
VID voltage range1V-1.25Vno data

Compatibility

Information on Core 2 Duo T9500 and Core i3-540 compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configurationno data1
SocketBGA479,PBGA479,PGA478,PPGA478FCLGA1156
Power consumption (TDP)35 Watt73 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core 2 Duo T9500 and Core i3-540. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsno dataIntel® SSE4.2
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology--
Hyper-Threading Technology-+
Idle States++
Demand Based Switching--
PAEno data36 Bit
FDIno data+
FSB parity-no data

Security technologies

Core 2 Duo T9500 and Core i3-540 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT--
EDB++

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core 2 Duo T9500 and Core i3-540 are enumerated here.

VT-x++
EPTno data+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core 2 Duo T9500 and Core i3-540. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesno dataDDR3
Maximum memory sizeno data16.38 GB
Max memory channelsno data2
Maximum memory bandwidthno data21 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataIntel® HD Graphics for Previous Generation Intel® Processors
Clear Video HDno data+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core 2 Duo T9500 and Core i3-540 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supportedno data2

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core 2 Duo T9500 and Core i3-540.

PCIe versionno data2.0
PCI Express lanesno data16

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

Core 2 Duo T9500 1.15
+16.2%
i3-540 0.99

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

Core 2 Duo T9500 1799
+17%
i3-540 1538

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

Core 2 Duo T9500 337
i3-540 409
+21.4%

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

Core 2 Duo T9500 549
i3-540 837
+52.5%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 1.15 0.99
Recency 10 January 2008 7 January 2010
Threads 2 4
Chip lithography 45 nm 32 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 35 Watt 73 Watt

Core 2 Duo T9500 has a 16.2% higher aggregate performance score, and 108.6% lower power consumption.

i3-540, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 1 year, 100% more threads, and a 40.6% more advanced lithography process.

The Core 2 Duo T9500 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-540 in performance tests.

Be aware that Core 2 Duo T9500 is a notebook processor while Core i3-540 is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core 2 Duo T9500 and Core i3-540, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core 2 Duo T9500
Core 2 Duo T9500
Intel Core i3-540
Core i3-540

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Core 2 Duo T9500 or Core i3-540, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.